


Fever

by seimaisin



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Sharing a Bed, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 13:09:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8163098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seimaisin/pseuds/seimaisin
Summary: Otherwise, his whole world has been odd, feverish dreams about gunpowder and beholders and one rather embarrassing dream in which he begged Vex to go to bed with him.


  … which, on second thought, may not have been a dream.





	

Percy’s been having fever dreams. That’s the only thing that can possibly account for the warm weight curled around him right now. He’s been sick for two days (he thinks, he rather lost track somewhere at the worst of his fever), and has only been conscious for brief moments during that time. Usually Vex or Keyleth wakes him to force-feed him some kind of soup, or swallow some kind of potion that Keyleth made. Otherwise, his whole world has been odd, feverish dreams about gunpowder and beholders and one rather embarrassing dream in which he begged Vex to go to bed with him.

… which, on second thought, may not have been a dream. Because when he opens his eyes, he sees brown hair trailing over his shoulder, and slender arms surrounding him from the back. When he dares to shift a bit, he feels hot breath on his neck as she stirs. “Percy?”

“Vex?” His voice comes out scratchy, and his throat protests the work.

“Are you okay? Turn over, let me see.” She moves away from his back - he feels the loss of her warmth keenly. But as ordered, he turns over onto his back, to see Vex sitting up in bed. She is - oh sweet Pelor, she’s everything he’s never admitted he dreamed about, with her hair loose around her shoulders and the sheets pooled around her waist. (Granted, in those dreams he won’t admit to, she usually isn’t wearing a sleep shirt, but in this moment, he’s rather grateful for that change. He’s already embarrassed himself enough as it is, it seems.) 

Vex puts a hand on his forehead. “Your fever broke, finally. Thank the gods, we were starting to get worried.” 

“Did anyone else catch it?” he asks.

“No, I don’t think it was contagious. Keyleth thinks it might have been something you came in contact with, maybe an allergic reaction. She’s been trying to retrace our steps and figure out what it might be, so you can avoid it.”

“That would be good. This was … not fun.”

“No, it really wasn’t.” Vex looks down at him. “I was scared there for a bit. You were delirious, and Pike’s not here. If your fever lasted into this morning, I think we’d agreed to drag you out and find the nearest big tree to get you back to Whitestone.” 

“No need. I hope.” 

At this, Vex finally smiles, resting a hand on his chest. It’s now Percy realizes exactly what he’s wearing - or not wearing, because as far as he can tell, he’s only wearing his underclothes. Her touch is warm on his bare chest, and he can feel one of her legs resting on top of his. It’s more skin-to-skin contact than he’s ever had with Vex, and it’s … glorious? Frustrating? Uncomfortable? All three at the same time, he decides, feeling warmth creep into his cheeks. The whole situation is so intimate, and he wants it to continue forever just as much as he wants to pretend it never happened. 

After a moment, he works up his nerve. “Vex?”

“Yes, dear?”

The endearment - so familiar, but so much more intimate in this setting - makes him blush even harder. “I don’t really remember … I mean, I kind of remember, but I thought it was a dream …” He takes a deep breath. “How did you end up here? In bed? With me?”

At this, she blushes. “Well … you asked.”

That’s what Percy was afraid of. “If my memory is correct, which it may not be, ‘asked’ is not the right word. I remember … begging. Pitifully.” He remembers slightly more than that. He can hear himself telling her he’s wanted her in his bed, that he couldn’t stand it if she ever left him. 

He’s pretty sure he told her he loves her. Fuck.

“Percy.” Vex lays back down again, stretching herself out at his side, and props herself up on an elbow. “It’s okay. I was actually glad to stay, because I was worried something would happen to you in the night. I felt better just being here.”

He should be glad she’s not hovering above him any more, but still, he finds himself shifting so he can lay on his side, facing her. (Moving is not his best idea. His head swims, and he sees some spots before he settles.) He can’t see her face clearly, not without his glasses, but she’s close enough that he can make out a few of the freckles that dot her face. This, he decides, was a terrible mistake. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“For what?”

“For everything I said. I was …” He sighs. “I was out of line.”

“For which part?” Vex reaches up to smooth a piece of hair off his forehead. “You said a lot of things when you were feverish.”

“You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?” 

“Only as easy as you’re making it for me.” When he furrows his brow, she chuckles, without much humor. “Tell me to leave, Percy.”

“What?”

“Tell me you were delirious, that you don’t want me in bed with you now that you’re getting better, and I’ll leave. We never have to talk about anything you said while you were sick ever again.”

Percy wishes he knew where his glasses were, because he desperately wants to see her expression right now. “Do you want me to say that?” he finds himself asking.

“Don’t ask me that. Just tell me what you want.”

After a moment, he sighs, and brings a hand up to stroke her cheek. “I’m afraid I already did.”

Even with blurry vision, he can see the smile that creeps across her face. “You told me you wanted me in your bed. In fact, you made a couple of suggestions that would have been sorely tempting if you hadn’t been so sick.”

“I don’t remember specific suggestions,” he says. “But overall … yes. That’s true.”

“You told me you wanted to stay with me forever.”

“Well …as long as neither of us is felled by dragons or vengeful gods or anything, that is also true.”

Vex leans her forehead against his. “You said you were in love with me.”

Percy’s heart feels like it’s trying to break itself out of his chest. “Yes,” he whispers.

“Thank the gods,” she breathes. “It would really suck to be the only one in love.”

“It would,” he agrees. “Are you telling me you are?”

“I am.” Vex kisses the tip of his nose. “I’m in love with you, you ridiculous man, but I’m not kissing you right now, because your breath reeks.” 

He laughs, tension draining from his body. “Fair enough.” 

“But I expect you to make good on some of those interesting suggestions you made as soon as you’re well again, just for the record.”

“You’ll have to refresh my memory on those, but I’m sure that can be arranged.”

Vex pushes him gently onto his back, then curls up against him again, laying her head on his chest. This is good - his head hurts less like this, and her body is a singular comfort surrounding him. “One of them, I believe, involved burying your head between my legs and spelling out the alphabet with your tongue.”

Percy feels the blush creep back into his cheeks. Not that he doubts her - he has, indeed, considered the possibility. “Common or Celestial?” he asks, just to hear her giggle.

“If I say ‘both,’ will you believe me?”

“Maybe not, but I’ll do both anyway.” 

“Promises, promises,” Vex purrs. “We’ll see if you’re up for it when you feel better. Now,” she says, scooting even closer to him, “go back to sleep.”

“I’ve spent the last few days sleeping. I don’t know if I can right now.”

“Well,” she declares, yawning, “I’m going back to sleep. I’ve been so worried, I’ve barely slept a wink.”

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault. But if you want to make it up to me, just lay there and let me sleep like this. I rather like holding onto you.”

Percy smiles, and lets himself run a hand through her hair. “I’m rather fond of it myself.”

His eyes close more quickly than he figured, the warm weight of her lulling him into the best non-fevered sleep he’s had in months.


End file.
